The ghost town of Paradise, Arizona, is only five miles down the road from Portal, our birding destination next week. Don't block a lot of time to see Paradise. There is only a single building still standing. It hasn't always been so. The town once sported thirteen saloons! Can you imagine such a place on a Saturday night? Maybe they simply killed off the town. The Post Office came in 1901 and closed in 1943.
Let me tell you about the Paradise jail. It was called an "open" jail. The doors weren't open, for there were none. It was an open jail because any prisoners were chained around a tree OR chained between two trees. It was a sort of chain run where several prisoners could be chained along a single strand of links. These folks were mostly miners, cowboys, or rustlers. I don't know who cared for them or what they did when it snowed or rained. The mines closed in 1907 and the folks faded out of Paradise.
I cannot possibly imagine how someone came up with the name Paradise for such a place. It was far from the one Jesus spoke about on the cross. That Paradise I really want to see. In fact, I would like to live there at some future time. Paradise, Arizona I hope to see ONE DAY and one day only! Let's cut that to one hour. Anyway, next week we plan to be in Paradise. Either one will do.
